Supplements and Vitamins
·
Are Supplements Needed?
·
Baby Vitamins – are they dosed improperly?
·
Testosterone Supplements – more dangers
·
Liver damage – sometimes fatal – from supplements
·
Regulation (or lack of) OTC supplements
Are Supplements or Vitamins Needed – The evidence is no
There have been
many health claims about vitamins and supplements (more later on that). However,
except for few exceptions (such as Vitamin E for Alzheimer’s and Vitamin D)
most studies have shown no benefit; and in fact possible dangers from taking
these. In three studies in several
thousand patients there was no benefit in cardiovascular or cognitive functions
in those taking multivitamins and supplements. As well, patients taking
carotene actually had an increased death rate from lung cancer! The recommendation
was: “Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is
not justified, and they should be avoided.”
Baby Vitamins – too much
Many people
give their babies vitamins or supplements. In a proper pediatric diet this is usually
unnecessary. And it appears that even the available vitamins contain far more
than the current recommendations. Over 200 labels of supplements for children
under 4 were reviewed and they all contained much more than the daily
allowance, sometimes by a factor of 10. In adults it has been shown that
certain vitamins are actually dangerous; we do not know what the effect could
be on children. I would not use these unless specifically recommended by your
doctor.
Testosterone Supplements – heart attack risks
As the
marketing blitz for Low-T continues, we are seeing more side effects of the unnecessary
use of testosterone. Most experts do not recommend taking testosterone unless
the level is below 200 or 300. However many “clinics” treat at levels up to 500
(which is normal). Aside from the risk of prostate cancer, in a recent review
of senior (65 and over) patients given supplements, there was a three times increased
risk of a heart attack in the first 90 days. The perceived benefits are not
worth the risk.
“Herbal” Supplements – fatal dangers and lack of regulation
Supplements,
whether for body-building, weight loss, menopause, etc have almost no
regulation. They often contain dangerous and even life threatening ingredients,
as well as unlisted chemicals or even medications! For example an ”herbal” supplement
advertised as an alternative to Viagra was found to contain real Viagra! Many
body building supplements were found to contain steroids.Of the over 50,000
supplements sold in the United States, less than 1% have been examined for
their ingredients. An estimated of 20% of hospital admissions for liver failure
come from these. I actually had one patient who required a liver transplant
after using a special “tea”. In an investigation by USA Today, the industry was
found to to have many criminals actually marketing products.
No comments:
Post a Comment